Finding a Doe
by WwhiptailwW
Summary: Shikamaru finds women troublesome. How does he handle five of them? Lots of references to different pairings, but I can't reveal the final 'true' pairing that'd ruin the surprise! My first attempt at more than one chapter. I hope to stay committed!
1. The Hunt Begins

Those boiling hot days in Konoha were always a drag. A real drag. Not only was it too hot to move, it was too hot to sleep. So there he stood, swaying in the vaporising heat that enveloped them all. Being Shikamaru was often troublesome.

"Man I haven't been this sweaty since that night I had with Ino." Kiba gasped while fanning himself. A grin could be seen behind the droplets that were streaming from his head

The rest of the boys groaned, all except Shikamaru who couldn't even muster the effort to do so.

"That's all that's ever on your mind, isn't it?" sighed Neji, who was already in an irritated mood due to the heat hindering his training, "Can you please talk out of your mouth for once rather than your penis?"

"And if you're such a lady killer," added Choji, "Why are you always bragging about Ino?"

Kiba grinned once more.

"You got someone better in mind? Or are you jealous?"

Choji shrank back behind Shikamaru, the slimmer boy unable to block out Choji's larger physique.

"Heh, out of all of us, he's probably the real lady killer" Kiba winked, pointing at Shikamaru

"What do you mean?" the Nara replied. He was surprised he was able to do so.

"You know what I mean! Since we became ninja, you've had girls coming at you left, right and centre!"

Shikamaru closed his eyes. Kiba continued.

"There was that girl in the Chunin exam prelims... Kin was it? Then there was Temari. Now she's something! And there was even that bitch from the Sound village with red hair!"

"Don't forget Ino." Neji smiled, but then quickly stopped. He had no idea why he was even with these three. There was much better company for him in the village.

Shikamaru slumped to the floor and sighed.

"Women are troublesome."

Now it was Choji's turn to sigh.

"You're always saying that! But they can be really sweet. You know how Ino is really... and Hinata."

"I bet he's gay." Kiba laughed. Neji had to hide a smile and even Choji giggled. "Listen Shikamaru. Go out with a girl. Anyone. I'm sure you'll have a great time."

Neji turned towards them.

"Go on. Take Tenten out. She's always rambling on about never having a boyfriend."

"So she's not your territory then?" Kiba chuckled

"Was that pun intended?" Neji smirked

"Why not try all the Konoha 12 girls, and she who you like best?" Choji asked

Shikamaru groaned and began to stand up to walk away. Unfortunately, Kiba mistook that for a 'standing of agreement'.

"Nice choice." He grinned, "I'll go get Hinata. She's probably gone to the lake in this heat. If we're quick, she might even still be in her bikini! Her jugs are..."

Kiba stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Neji's evil glare. True to nature, Shikamaru allowed himself to be pulled along by the three of them. He was in no mood to argue. It'd be way too troublesome.


	2. The Deer and the Sunny Place

The lake was always a hotspot for those sunny days, and this one was no exception. Shikamaru had many a time been down there to just relax alone or with Choji.

On the way to the lake, Neji had decided that he was too mature for what was going on and had therefore gone to try and train in the blistering heat. The other three however met Sai along the way, and he followed them after reading that he should participate in more 'male bonding' sessions.

Just as Kiba had foretold, Hinata was found by the water. She was, however, fully clothed, much to Kiba's dismay.

"I'm sure you'll be seeing plenty of them if your date goes well, Shikamaru!" he laughed

"Ugh, what date?!" Shikamaru moaned, "I don't even know Hinata really, but I think I know her well enough to assume that she won't want anything to do with this!"

Kiba ignored him and ran forward.

"Hey Hinata!"

The Hyuga turned, surprised.

"Oh, Kiba." She said, "What are you doing here?"

"Heh. Shikamaru wants to go on a date with you!"

The Nara was appalled by Kiba's bluntness, but just turned and groaned. Hinata would probably actually be much better company than what he had now.

"Oh... well... I... um..." Hinata stuttered. Choji noticed her turning red

"I think she likes you, Shikamaru!" he whispered, "She's blushing!"

Shikamaru turned and looked at her.

"Well you'd be turning red too if you were wearing that huge jacket in this heat." He scowled, acknowledging Hinata's attire. Kiba growled.

"Ah, whatever. This isn't up for discussion!" he announced, "C'mon guys. Let's leave these two to get to know each other!"

And with that he bounded off into the trees, Sai (who had been taking notes of what was going on) following after.

"Good luck!" Choji called before running off.

There was silence.

Hinata fidgeted with her fingers while looking at the floor, Shikamaru scowling at it. A few minutes passed (although they felt like hours) before the silence was finally broken.

"Aren't you roasting under that coat?" Shikamaru asked bluntly

Hinata jumped at the sudden noise, then realised that she was actually very hot.

"I guess so." She said, smiling weakly

Another silence.

"Well... aren't you going to take it off?"

Without saying anything, the Hyuga unzipped her jacket and tied it round her waist. Kiba's voice immediately echoed in Shikamaru's mind: "Look at those breasts!". He shook his head vigorously.

"What an idiot..." he thought to himself

"Um... are you okay Shikamaru?" Hinata asked

"Huh? Oh. Yeah I'm fine." He replied, "C'mon. We might as well do something. You like Shogi?"

"My father has a marble Shogi set," Hinata explained, "But I've never played. You could teach me if you want?"

Shikamaru yawned.

"Nah. That'll be a drag in this heat. Let's go get something to eat."

Silently, Hinata followed Shikamaru through Konoha. He was desperate to break this awkward silence... He needed to say anything! Noticing the Yamanaka Flower Shop, he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

"So, you like flowers?"

In his mind, Shikamaru scowled at his 'great' way to break the silence. Hinata smiled.

"I like to press them." She began, "Hanabi usually picks them and I try and sort them out to decorate the house."

"Huh." Shikamaru nodded, "Guess you could give Ino a run for her money then?"

"I don't think so." Hinata sighed, "No one sorts flowers as well as Ino."

Shikamaru nodded once more. They soon arrived a dumplings stand. The Nara felt around in his pockets for some money.

"Damn it." He thought, "I forgot I spent all my money yesterday when Choji, Ino and I went for a barbeque..."

Turning to Hinata, he scratched his head with embarrassment. From what he knew of girls, he knew that he was the one who should be paying, and he remembered how Sakura acted once when Naruto told her that she had to.

"Listen, Hinata..."

She giggled.

"Oh, it's okay Shikamaru." She smiled, pulling out a pouch of money

The two were served and they sat on a bench to eat. Yet another silence ensued.

"This isn't actually so bad." Shikamaru thought, "Hinata's not too weird, and there's no risk of being yelled at like with most other girls round here."

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her drop some of her dumpling down her top. Shikamaru immediately turned away.

"There's no way I'm sinking as low as Kiba."

He turned back to her.

"So... been on any missions lately?" he asked

"Shino and I had to pose as a wealthy couple at a Feudal Lord's ball last week." Hinata replied, "It was nothing big. We just had to gather information on what he was doing after he was accused of trying to negotiate with the Akatsuki."

"Sounds pretty cool." Shikamaru sighed

Hinata giggled.

"Do you remember in the academy when you would sometimes copy my homework?"

Shikamaru grinned.

"Yeah I remember. It was either you or Sakura. I tried Ino and Shino but neither of them would ever let me."

"You're so clever though..."

The Nara grinned again.

"You're pretty intelligent too."

A few minutes passed, and the two were ready to go their separate ways.

"Thanks... Shikamaru." Hinata grinned, "I don't usually do much stuff like this."

"Yeah." He laughed, "It was pretty sweet."

Hinata shuffled.

"Maybe... maybe we could do this again sometime?"

"Sure, maybe."

The two stood facing each other.

"Well... see ya, I guess." Shikamaru said, planting a peck on Hinata's cheek, causing an instant blush.

"Hmm... bye!" she giggled, before turning and walking away.

"Well that wasn't so painful." Shikamaru thought

----

"So, how was it?" Kiba grinned

The Nara explained briefly and nonchalantly what had happened.

"What, no sexual content at all?" Kiba laughed

"Well, I think I saw him kiss her." Sai said

Shikamaru jolted. He didn't even notice Sai anywhere nearby at the time.

"Anyway," the Inuzuka began, "Who do you want next? Take your pick!"

"Sakura was talking about going out tomorrow." Sai explained

Choji grinned while eating some crisps.

"Looks like you've got a date then, Shika!" he laughed


	3. The Deer and the Cherryblossom

Sai had told Shikamaru that Sakura would be in the library at this time in the morning. After yesterday's date with Hinata, the Nara was expecting today's girl to be reasonable too. After all, Sakura was in the library, so surely she'd be a worthy partner of an intellectual discussion... Not that Shikamaru was overly keen on them himself, but at least he could refrain from the frequent silences of yesterday.

The library was fairly large, and stood just around the corner from the Hokage's mansion. Shikamaru had only ever been in twice before- once to return one a recipe book for his mother, and another time when he was playing hide and seek with Choji years ago. He stepped inside and skulked around, looking for the pink haired girl. She was hidden behind a pile of books.

"Hey Sakura."

She looked up and smiled.

"Hi Shikamaru. What are you doing in the library?"

"Oh damn it." Shikamaru groaned, rubbing his neck. He realised that Sai had obviously not told Sakura about their 'date'.

"Look... do you wanna go and... I dunno... do something?" he asked, stuttering

Sakura looked confused, then nodded towards her books.

"Well, as much as I'd uh... like to, I've got to finish up here." She said, "You can join me if you want?"

Shikamaru hated reading, but realised that he'd get more hassle from the other boys if he chickened out of this 'date'. Sighing, he slumped onto a chair.

"What you reading about?"

"I've got to study up on poisons if I want to further progress in my medical training," Sakura explained, "Ino recommended some books on poisonous flowers, and Shizune also gave me some advice."

Shikamaru feigned interest. He was only two minutes in when he realised this date was a huge mistake... Although at least it was better than having Sakura yelling at and punching him, something she often did to Naruto.

"Look, I can tell you're bored." Sakura said, looking irritated

"People say I always look bored." Shikamaru shrugged, "So what's the problem?"

Sakura scratched her head and sighed.

"I really don't know why you've taken a sudden interest in me, but if you really want to go and do something together, then I guess I could read these another day."

Shikamaru smiled as Sakura stood up and returned the books to their rightful places. The two walked outside together and headed towards the park. The heat of the day before had been washed away by rain overnight.

"So tell me," Sakura began, "What is all this about anyway?"

The Nara groaned, but thought it was best not to tell her what had been 'agreed' between the boys.

"Sai just said that you wanted to go out or something..." he shrugged

Sakura chuckled.

"And you being the kind person you are decided to take me out?" she grinned, "Come on Shikamaru that's not your style!"

"It's the truth!" he gulped

Sakura sighed.

"Well, might as well make the most of it!"

And with that (and a devilish grin), she grabbed Shikamaru's hand and swung it vigorously as they walked.

"Whoa!" Shikamaru gasped, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Well, if we're on a date, we might as well look the part!" Sakura whispered, "So shut up and smile!"

Shikamaru had an awkward expression as they walked down a pathway which led into the park. Although no one explicitly gave them strange looks, he couldn't help but feel that they were being watched.

"So," Sakura smiled enthusiastically, "What's it like when your team goes out on a mission?"

"Well... I... uh... Choji's pretty strong so often helps with any battles and stuff," Shikamaru stuttered, "And Ino's pretty reasonable at fighting too when she's up against a reasonable opponent. Of course she's also a medic and..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Sakura butted in, "Naruto keeps growing really strong, and Sai..."

The Nara wondered if Miss Haruno had even listened to him at all. Still as long as she was happy talking, he couldn't really do much wrong. Surprisingly, he had grown used the whole 'hand holding' thing and didn't feel that embarrassed anymore. He could smell the coconut shampoo emanating from Sakura's pink hair. She obviously did still keep good care of it after that run in with the Sound Genin in the Chunin Exams about three years ago.

"...and that's when Tenten told me that Lee had done it!"

Shikamaru snapped back into reality.

"Oh... uh... really?"

"Yeah." Sakura sighed, "But I figure that if anyone can do it, I can."

"Sounds interesting." Shikamaru yawned, "Hey, would you ever consider growing your hair long again?"

Sakura looked stunned.

"You prefer it that way?"

"No it's not that. I was just wondering, that's all."

"Well, I probably will if I become the Jonin leader of a squad." Sakura said, "By then I should be a good enough ninja to stop it being a hindrance to me."

Shikamaru turned his head to her as they walked.

"I always thought you'd turn out a Genjutsu specialist."

"Me too... but when I asked Lady Tsunade to teach me medical ninjutsu, the chakra enhanced strength sort of came with the territory." The pink haired girl said

They walked for a few more minutes. Sakura began talking about something that didn't interest Shikamaru at all, but he was content in just walking and 'listening'. They eventually reached the way they had come in to the park.

"Well, I should get back to the library." Sakura smiled, "Thanks for the break from the books."

"No problem." Shikamaru grinned, "It was better than I expected."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the girl replied, half angry, half smiling

"Um..."

Sakura shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. I'll see you later, okay?"

Shikamaru waved as she headed back towards the library. He decided to take the long way back home. He wasn't in the mood to discuss his latest 'girlfriend' with Kiba. That could wait until tomorrow. In the mean time he contemplated on whether he had preferred his time with Hinata or Sakura.

"They were both different, I guess." He thought

Sighing, he thought about the two girls he had left to date. Out of all the girls, Shikamaru knew the least about Tenten. They had virtually never spoken to each other before, aside from the odd 'Hello' or 'I agree' when they were hanging round with the same people. On the other hand, there was Ino; the girl Shikamaru knew the best. That doesn't mean he was exactly looking forward to a whole day alone with her either. She was kind, but such a pain sometimes.

"Ugh... how troublesome..."


End file.
